In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Family Wants Tougher Laws
Valdosta, GA - Last week DogsBite.org reported that Harold Yates shot a pit bull after it jumped out of some bushes and began attacking his granddaughter. The family had just returned from a boat ride. The pit bulls attacked near the boat landing. The young girl, Shelby Yates needed 18 stitches. Shelby says she threw her arm in front of her face. The dog bit into her arm and pulled her to the ground.

Her father, Terry Yates, told reporters, "My dad, he realized they [the pit bulls] weren't going to stop, so my dad pulled out his pistol and shot at them. Unfortunately he missed. One dog turned and ran away. But the second one kept on coming." He added that while at the hospital, Shelby was weighed at 59 pounds. They also weighed the dog, which was 82 pounds.

The Yates family wants to make sure the same thing does not happened to another family. But currently, there aren't even leash laws in the county. Decatur county officials say they are working on a new animal control ordinance. Like many places, though, they think that by enacting an anti-tethering rule, "mean dogs" will disappear. The pit bulls that attacked Shelby were loose and remain unidentified.

In other news:

15-Year Old Attacked By Neighbor's Pit Bull
Charlotte, NC - Elizabeth Stanek, 15, was bitten on her legs by her neighbor's 2-year-old pit bull while outside her home. She was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released. The animal also charged at an officer who responded to a call for help. The officer fired a shotgun, killing the dog. The dog's owner, Phillip Thames, said he was at work at the time of the attack.

"I just don’t understand what happened,” Stanek said, adding she often approached the dog when it freed itself from a tether in the neighbor’s yard. "I said, 'Hey, come here boy. I’m going to put you back on your chain.' And he just sniffed me and started ripping my skirt off,” she said. Thames said he adopted the pit bull from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control facility.

Anonymous | 8/02/2008 8:16 AM | FlagThe victim here should sue the city. I assume this shelter is run by tax dollars at least in part.Many cities don't adopt out pit bulls because of the liability.By taking this shelter to court you might very well save someone else. The shelter has proven irresponsibility with these dogs anyway.